Tesla has sued Alameda County, releases detailed 'Return to Work Playbook'

It wasn’t just a threat what Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on Twitter yesterday, the automaker has actually sued Alameda Country for not letting them start limited production with the necessary precautions to ensure employee health at the factory.

The title of the lawsuit says ‘COMPLAINT FOR INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF’ with the Case Number 4:20 cv 03186 (notice even the lawsuit # has 420 in it).

I’m not messing around. Absurd & medically irrational behavior in violation of constitutional civil liberties, moreover by *unelected* county officials with no accountability, needs to stop.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020

Additionally, Elon Musk also said yesterday that Tesla will be moving its headquarters from Palo Alto to somewhere in Texas or Nevada which is already home to the automaker’s 1st ever Gigafactory that produces battery cells and packs for the cars and energy products.

To normalize the situation and keep Tesla and Elon Musk in California, Palo Alto Mayor Adrian M. Fine took to Twitter to offer Elon Musk any kind of help he can provide to resolve the situation.

Palo Alto Mayor here. I would be really sad and disappointed if @Tesla left @cityofpaloalto, and stand ready to help. I truly appreciate having a cutting edge company based here, employing people, paying taxes, and helping to solve the climate crisis. Happy to help @elonmusk. https://t.co/LYsu0gbPfa
— adrian m fine (@adrianfine) May 9, 2020

Mayor of the City of Fremont, Lily Mei also released an official statement on this matter and she looks keen on Tesla starting the production

“As the local shelter-in-place order continues without provisions for major manufacturing activity, such as Tesla, to resume, I am growing concerned about the potential implications for our regional economy. We know many essential businesses have proven they can successfully operate using strict safety and social distancing practices. I strongly believe these same practices could be possible for other manufacturing businesses, especially those that are so critical to our employment base. The City encourages the County to engage with our local businesses to come up with acceptable guidelines for re-opening our local economy. As we have done for over a decade, the City is prepared to support Tesla as soon as they are able to resume automobile manufacturing operations and are committed to a thoughtful, balanced approach to this effort that remains safe for our Fremont community.”
Mayor Lily Mei / City of Fremont

Tesla’s COVID-19 Precautionary SOPs

Tesla Fremont car factory COVID-19 precautionary SOPs. Image Credits: Tesla Inc.

Along with the detailed blog post, Tesla also published a detailed ‘Return to Work Playbook’ (PDF below) that outlines what measures the automaker is constantly implementing for the health and well-being of the employees at the HQ and the Fremont car factory.

The following infographic shows what safety procedures Tesla is implementing to start the production at the factory.

Tesla: How We’re Helping to Keep You Safe. Source: Tesla Inc. (TSLA).

Moreover, Tesla’s experience fighting the COVID-19 situation at its Gigafactory in Shanghai, China should be taken as a plus point in letting the only automaker and largest manufacturer in California start its operations on a controlled scale.

Also Tesla is not forcing the employees to come to the factory, if they feel uncomfortable, they can stay on furlough for the time being.